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The
autonomous region of Castile-La Mancha includes much of the southern part
of the Iberian peninsula. It is on the southern sub-plateau and is bound
by the Madrid (Region) and Castilla-Leon in the north, Aragon and the
Region of Valencia in the east, Murcia and Andalusia in the south and
Extremadura in the west.
The
terrain can be divided into two distinct parts. On the one side there is
the plateau, an extensive flat land with very few mountains. The flatness
of the plateau is often broken by mountains such as the Toledo mountains,
that include summits such as Villuercas (1,601 m) and Rocigalgo (1,447 m).
The most mountainous part of the area that encircles the plateau around
the region's borders, include foothills along the massifs of the Central
mountain range, the Iberian mountain range and the Sierra Morena. Within
Castile-La Mancha are the southern foothills of the Gredos sierra, the
mountainous areas of Cuenca that stretch out towards the Iberian range,
the mountainous terrain of Ciudad Real, that stretches out towards Sierra
Morena, and the southern sierras of Albacete. Some of Spain's most
important rivers run through Castile-La Mancha. The Tagus and the Guadiana
are two of the most important that head westwards along the region. The
Jucar river, which is the third most important river of the area heads
eastwards. A particularly notable feature in the geography of the
mountainous area of Cuenca are the rock formations of the The Enchanted
City (La Ciudad Encantada), The Majadas Passageways (Los Callejones de las
Majadas) and Las Torcas, all created by erosion.
Population
The
population of this autonomous region according to figures from the Spanish
National Statistics Institute (INE) as of the 1st of January 2001, after
having reviewed the Inhabitants register is 1,755,053.
The
population density through the provinces is as follows: Albacete: 367,283,
Ciudad Real: 478,581, Cuenca: 201,526, Guadalajara: 171,532 and Toledo:
536,131. The
most populated cities are: Toledo, Albacete, Talavera de la Reina and
Ciudad Real.
Administration
The
autonomous region of Castile-La Mancha is made up of the provinces of
Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo. The Autonomy
Statute was approved for Castile-La Mancha in 1982. The capital of the
region is Toledo.
Article
8 of the Autonomy Statute states: “The region is governed by the
autonomous regional council of Castile-La Mancha. The regional council is
made up of: the Regional Assembly of Castile-La Mancha, the President of
the Assembly and the Government Council”.
Weather
The
climate in Castile-La Mancha is essentially Mediterranean with some
features similar to a continental climate.
The
different mountainous terrains clearly determine the type of climate
within the region. Although it is technically included in the
Mediterranean climate, it is true to say that, particularly in the central
part, it has characteristics which belong to a continental climate,
although the lower altitude of this southern meseta or plateau allows
longer summers and milder winters than on the northern meseta. The
mountainous areas have a Mediterranean climate, with abundant rainfall
that is converted into snow on the higher peaks. Just as in the northern
plateau, there is a central area where the rainfall decreases to around
300 or 400mm.
Infrastructures
Castile-La
Mancha's transport network is connected by rail and road. Air links are
from Madrid-Barajas airport which is 20 or 25 minutes (58km) from
Guadalajara and some 40 minutes (71km) from Toledo.
The
roads in Castile-La Mancha are based on a network of motorways, A-roads
and smaller country roads. The main intersections are found in Castile and
La Mancha and link Madrid-Zaragoza (N-II), Madrid-Valencia (N-III),
Madrid-Andalucía (N-IV), Madrid-Badajoz (N-V) and the main road that
links Madrid-Toledo. All the towns are connected either by road or rail.
The railways are run by RENFE (Spanish train provider). The new high-speed
train (AVE) that connects Madrid with Seville travelling from north to
south along the region, has promoted a notable economic and social growth
in the area of Castile-La Mancha, with stations in Ciudad Real and
Puertollano. New rail links have been planned to connect the mainland from
west to east, cutting across the region.
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